A?total of more than 200 rotting dog corpses have been found in several garbage stations in central Wuhan City of Hubei Province yesterday, a Wuhan-based newspaper reported today.

A sanitation worker surnamed Han found a pile of the bodies near Wuluo Road at 4 am and reported the find immediately.

A food store manager surnamed Cai then discovered another pile of decaying corpses at a nearby garbage dump, the Changjiang Times report said.

The dogs were each about 1 meter long and half a meter high. Some of them seemed to have been run over by vehicles and others seemed to be emaciated.

The stench from the bodies forced local shops to close down until dogs had been removed and the area disinfected.

All of the dogs have now been buried and disinfected, an official with the local animal epidemic prevention center said.

Police are investigating.

(Shanghai Daily February 16, 2009)